Yeah - that was probably one of the many knockoffs. Much lower quality than Hasbro's, though the mold has gone through some degradation.

07-12-2011

AFCollector

Gotta echo Chaddymac's post. Thundercracker was the last seeker to make it to the States and it was the victim of the Knockoffers shortly before that. I have seen one in person and it really doesn't look that bad. If yours was loose, odds are it was a knockoff, sorry. Doesn't matter though, so long as he looks the part he's supposed to play in your collection and you didn't pay too much for him.

The Takara figures are usually made with different paint applications and sometimes better quality plastic. There's picture comparisons of most of the figures out on the net if you care to look. Our Tracks and theirs look different, as well as Wheeljack and Jazz and is very noticeable on the "Laser Optimus Prime". The one it's easiest to see is the figure I mentioned earlier, Bumblebee: In the "Reveal the Shield" version, he's a re-use/repaint of his "Classics" figure, with the 2 black stripes painted on him to tie him into his "live action movie" disaster. The "United" version is molded in gold-esque plastic, and treated with metallic accents.

I also have both the "Classics" version and "Henkei" version of quite a few Transformers and they look noticeably different in decoration as well as feel different in their construction, I prefer the Takara versions over the Hasbro versions hands down, and even ended up paying LESS for the Takara versions a few times, which I never thought made much sense.

07-13-2011

Darth Metalmute

I looked closer at it last night and it appears that some screws where loose. Once I tightened them, the figure held together better. But yeah, I think its a knock off.

07-13-2011

AFCollector

Well, like I said, if it holds together well and looks the part and didn't cost too much, he's fine really. Mine came from HTS and feels very cheap. Plastic is almost brittle, I don't like handling it too much. He stands with Starscream and Skywarp on the shelf tho, so he does his job well.

07-13-2011

JediTricks

Often for me, the Japanese releases just don't offer enough to justify spending 3x the money. They're better usually (not always) but they aren't 3 times better, they're often like 25% better. And a lot of my buddies complain about the Japanese releases being more fragile (this is a more recent development, 10 years ago they were always consistently better).

I picked up Sandstorm, Icepick, and Whirl from the Human Alliance Basic line. Each has its own issues but its own charms too. Whirl makes a really good weapon emplacement, and even though the chopper is silly small and the colors aren't too good, it kinda works.

07-13-2011

AFCollector

I agree wholeheartedly that they're pricy. I will only spring for them when I'm faced paying roughly the same amount via gougers for the American releases. I got into collecting the "Classics" line late and most of them had gone off the shelves here already, so in order to get them, I had to look on Ebay or spring for the Takara versions. Well if I'm going to have to pay $30 for a Classics Cliffjumper, well I'm gonna get the $30 one from Japan with the cooler paintjob.

I haven't had any quality issues though. For example: all the complaints about the Masterpiece Rodimus? I haven't had any of those problems with mine, and no fragility issues with any official figures either. Knockoffs though...that's another story. I have only purchased a handful of these as cheap parts for customs, but they are generally incredibly inferior in their materials, and some of the "3rd Party" figures are incredibly cheaply made for their cost. The most notorious of these is a recent "Not Arcee" figure that was just such utter crap, I actually repackaged it and Ebayed it at a loss to get rid of it.

07-13-2011

Chaddymac

This is a great Groupon. I wonder why it's only showing up for people in Louisville?

Dunno, but I snagged one last night. Thanks for the head's up. Of course everything I would buy is out of stock soooo...thankfully they don't expire. I'll hang onto it till something I want does pop up.

07-19-2011

El Chuxter

I can attest to Grapple and Windcharger showing up at Ross, having gotten them myself today. :beard: One Windcharger; he was the only Scout-class figure. One Grapple, who appeared to be in an untouched column of Voyagers: two Deep Dives, two Lugnuts, and one Grapple. They also had put out Laser Prime and Perceptor, along with some ROTF stuff (Activators, I think).

Windcharger is sweet. Anyone who's been "meh" about him, I'd urge you to reconsider. I've got him posed looking slightly upward, with his hands on his waist; he looks cocky, just the way he should. I haven't opened Grapple or Lugnut yet, and won't until after Comic-Con. (Yes, I bought Lugnut. I know he's not G1, but he looked bloody awesome. Had he not been $10, or if he were an Autobot, I'd likely have passed. But I can use a few more 'Cons; I always feel like the heroes should be underdogs, but Hasbro makes it tough to do that, given the way they release something like seventeen Autobots for every Decepticon.)

07-19-2011

figrin bran

I saw a few Generations Wheeljacks and Thundercrackers at two different Target locations so anyone still needing those two might check your local Targets. DOTM hasn't drowned out Generations restocks completely.

I picked up Human Alliance Roadbuster at Target today but probably won't open up until I've returned from San Diego.